Shutting Down Guantanamo

Guantanamo is a disgrace. No one can deny that, and the recent ruling to the effect that the Bush administration had violated both American military law and the Geneva Convention in ordering the military tribunals comes as an official endorsement of point of view. Indeed, and due to the fact that such a glaring abuse of human rights is being perpetrated by the very administration that is supposed to champion the cause of democracy and human rights around the world should naturally be noted and condemned by people from around the world.

However, people from the Middle East in particular should think twice before dwelling too much on this point, the prison systems operated by their own government are far worse and date way back in time. Moreover, their silence in this regard, while understandable, is one of the main reasons why their dictatorial regimes continue to rule even after so many decades of misrule, oppression and corruption, and why American and international troops are now back in their midst.

Oppression breeds ignorance, and the admixture of the two attracts more overt foreign dabbling and intervention. The battle against abuse, even one perpetrated by far away countries, begins within. Fighting against the internal enemy should be the first priority for the reformers of the region. For once we shut down our own prisons, there will be no more Guantanamos.